The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP) objectives are to cooperatively assist partner nation governments in addressing obligations assumed by signing the United Nations National Security Council Resolution 1540, to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and their means of delivery, including by establishing appropriate controls over related materials, as well as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) which aim to enhance national, regional and global public health security .
CBEP, focusing on the biological agents, employs a multi pronged approach to meet its objectives by providing education and training to enhance clinical, laboratory and epidemiological safety and security with regard to especially dangerous pathogens. CBEP also works to strengthen the partner nation’s detection, diagnostic and reporting systems, as well as fund and conduct academic and scientific research on especially dangerous pathogens. CBEP adheres to the United States Government’s (USG) whole of government approach to engage with partner nations. CBEP works in coordination with the US State Department, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United States Combatant Commands, etc… in order to ensure a well coordinated program structured to provide maximum support to the partner nation.
The Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM) has partnered with CBEP, as CDHAM is uniquely positioned to provide both scientific and academic support due to its relationship with DoD’s Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS). CDHAM and CBEP share the common goal of facilitating medical and public health education and research efforts within the DoD for current and future DoD mission areas, including combat casualty care, stability operations, and humanitarian assistance. CDHAM has been broadly involved in various disease surveillance and management activities for several Unified Combatant Commands for the dual purposes of biodefense and providing practical training to international military medical and laboratory staff involved with infectious diseases.
USUHS has an international leadership role in military medicine, and has the ability to leverage existing international military medicine relationships with allies and coalition partners for current and future CBEP efforts. Additionally, USUHS students, faculty and researchers are ideally positioned to develop basic and applied scientific research collaborations, and to teach and mentor international military medicine colleagues in developing relevant scientific and public health research projects.
CDHAM has developed a Requirements Validation Process (RVP) to identify the capacities and capabilities of core biological functions within the policy and legal frameworks and the health systems of a partner country. Once complete, the RVP provides a baseline enabling both CBEP and the partner country to identify a mutually agreed upon path forward to strengthen and augment the partner nation’s ability to meet its obligations under UN 1540 and the WHO IHRs.
